OlJarhead's Second Cheddar

[OlJarhead]

In the new cave   Has been holding around 50 on the top of the door so I'll have to see where it holds with the thermometer in the back.

I plan to order a temp control from Cheesemaking.

[KosherBaker]

Hi Erik.

Congrats on the great looking wheel.
About the pH meter. Cheesemaking.com appears to have 2 of them one for $400 and the other for $84. The lower priced one looks just like a Hanna pH meter which is not well liked by people who have tried it. This is why I mentioned that it's a good idea to find reviews of pH meters as in the lower price ranges they are hit and miss.

On the temp controller. Before you order one you may want to make sure that 50F is indeed not acceptable. If your thermometer is accurate and you really are getting 50F from your fridge I don't know that you need the temp controller. But as I said post it as a separate question to get feedback from more senior and knowledgeable members. As different cheeses may have different aging temperatures.

Of course, there are amazingly useful discussions on both topics in the archives.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks Kosher -- my cheese is at 46 now and holding.  I'll have to check on the site for cheddar aging temperatures but I think for ripening this is too cool.  I might just try unplugging the fridge from time to time to see if that helps.

So far, however, it's looking awesome!  The outer surface is getting hard now and there are no cracks!  It did get a drop of condensation though so I'm hoping that since I moved it's location to the other side (no longer under the freezer part) it might not get dripped on.

I'll get pics shortly.
Erik

[OlJarhead]

Feeling much better about this cheese!

I'm now just wondering if I really need to wait two full weeks to wax?  It's developed a nice rind now I think.

[MrsKK]

It looks ready for a coating of wax to me.  I've never waited two weeks to cover my cheese, usually more in the range of 5-6 days.  I now coat mine with lard (because it is a readily available commodity to me), mostly because I had a lot of trouble with wax cracking and mold under the wax.

Other people are successful with waxing,, though.

[KosherBaker]

Thanks Kosher -- my cheese is at 46 now and holding.  I'll have to check on the site for cheddar aging temperatures but I think for ripening this is too cool.

As you search for ripening and aging temperatures keep in mind that both have recommended RH levels (Humidity) so if you see those jot those down along with the temperatures.

Karen, is there a test that Erik could perform on his cheese to see if it is ready for coating/waxing/vacuuming? Like maybe pressing on it and making sure there's no give? Or something else?

[OlJarhead]

Thanks and Thanks.

I was waiting the full two weeks because as a noob I'd only read it took two weeks to ripen -- haha so pretty much I'm so new to making cheese that....well you get the point.

So waxing isn't a problem yet   In the sense that I have no idea whether mine will turn out ok or not...

On another note, I'll likely have to wait anyway because work appears to be getting in the way -- is there any real hazard in waiting?

On humidity I've been told 80-85% is desirable which is tough int he desert but I'll check and see where it is at now.  Last I checked I could get it to at least 79% anyway.

Thanks
Erik

[KosherBaker]

If memory serves me correctly the times may be highly dependent on the size of your wheel/cheese.

[MrsKK]

the longer you leave it with no covering, the thicker the rind will be, especially as you are in a dry environment.  If it is a large cheese (6 inch or more diameter, at least 5-6 inches thick) you will still have a decent amount of cheese inside the rind.  If it is smaller, though, you will lose a lot to dryness.

No real test I know of to know that it is "ready" for waxing, larding or bandaging (I mention those methods because that is what I have used in the past).  I still lard my cheeses after they are consistently dry when turning them.  After a couple of months, I vaccuum seal them.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks again folks.

I got a little confused and did the following:  First I vacuum sealed the cheese and put it in the cave.....then I read something that suggested I needed to wait a while before doing that so I unsealed it and waxed it and put it in the cave.

I have a LOT more to learn so I guess I'll chalk this one up to learning (along with the first) but on a side comment it smelled great!

[MrsKK]

So how big are the cheeses you are making?

[OlJarhead]

So how big are the cheeses you are making?

Just little 1 pounders...1 gallon of milk at a time until I learn what I'm doing and get the gear needed to make bigger ones.

[DeejayDebi]

The smaller the cheese the quicker it dries. Small 1 pounders as Karen mentioned will develop a thick rind quickly and takes away from the eddible portions of cheese.

As you search the forum you will find many tried and true recipes that have been posted by members. They are generally followed by dicussion, comments and questions by other cheesemakers. I would place more faith in those than anything posted elsewhere on the internet. Seems like every cook out there these days fancies themselves as a cheesemaker because they have a recipe and produced a blob of curd of some sort. It must be the new "thing."

[FarmerJd]

By the way, Erik, I just scrolled down and saw your cheese and it looks great. Keep at it.


Karen or Kosher, I wish you would take pics of the larding process sometime and post it. I would feel better after watching it done before trying it. I am still vac sealing mine. Made my first cheddar of the season this week. Great to be back in the swing of things.

[KosherBaker]

Karen or Kosher, I wish you would take pics of the larding process sometime and post it. I would feel better after watching it done before trying it. I am still vac sealing mine.

Ummmmm, Larding would definitely have to go to Karen.

I also seem to remember DeejayDeb talking about larding some of her cheeses as well, in a post or two somewhere around here. I think she said she rubbed lard onto the rind and then wrapped it with cheese cloth. Although let's wait for them to reply.